if i were a boy again, i would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient. if we want light, we must conquer darkness. perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “there are only two creatures,” says a proverb, “who can surmount the pyramids—the eagle and the snail.” if i were a boy again, i would school myself into a habit of attention; i would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. i would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.the habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begin early enough. i often hear grown up people say “ i could not fix my attention on the sermon or book, although i wished to do so” , and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth. if i were to live my life over again, i would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. i would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. it takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble. it only needs early cultivation to become a power.
如果我再回到童年，我会更加经常地练习毅力，决不因为一件事是或是不方便而放弃它。如果我们想要光明，我们必须征服黑暗。毅力有时在结果上可以与天才相提并论。&“世上只有两种生物，”一句谚语说，“能登上金字塔的生物是鹰和蜗牛。”如果我再回到童年，我会养成一种专注的习惯；我不会让任何东西妨碍我和手头的主题。我记得一个好的滑冰者从不试图同时滑向两个方向。如果我们开始得足够早，注意力的习惯就会成为我们生活的一部分。我经常听到成年人说“我不能集中精力听布道或读书，尽管我希望这样做”，原因是，这种习惯不是在年轻时养成的。如果我要重新过我的生活，我会更加注重记忆的培养。我将尽一切可能，在任何可能的场合，加强这一能力。一开始要想准确地记住事情需要一点努力，但记忆很快就会帮助自己，而且不会带来什么麻烦。它只需要早期的培养就可以成为一种力量。